Derek's Favorite Form of Torture
by my shangri-la
Summary: Casey and Derek always have something to fight about, but what happens when Derek finds his favorite form of torture?
1. Chapter 1

**Derek's Favorite Form of Torture**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own LWD… or much of anything, but I'm working on it. **A/N:** The next chapter of _Brotherly…Something? _ Will be posted in the next day or so, I'm just figuring out how to end the chapter. As always, Reviews are wonderful!! And this is rated** M** for a reason, so if you are offended by sexual content (which won't start right away), do not read this. Otherwise, enjoy!! And I am trying to make it so we get to see the other characters despite the two main ones of course. Lol.

**Summary:** Casey and Derek always have something to fight about, but what happens when Derek finds his favorite form of torture?

**Chapter 1:**

Casey McDonald dragged herself tiredly through the front door, of her family's house in Ontario, Canada. She had just gotten home from her dance class, which had been prolonged, due to the fact that there was a recital scheduled in less than a month.

Because she had two major parts, and a dance solo, Casey had stayed for an extra hour and a half, trying to perfect her routine. It was now nine o'clock and she had missed dinner, and was beyond frustrated that she was still having problems with some of the choreography.

She took off her light jacket, thankful that school had ended last week, and she had the warmth of summer, along with the extra time to practice without being bombarded with the time-consuming homework of her junior year. While she was glad for this break from school, she wished she could take a break from everything in general.

She loved dance, it was one of her strongest passions, but the stress of the impending recital was erupting in knots in her neck, which planned on staying for a while. She made her way slowly into the family room and collapsed into the empty seat next to her sister Lizzie on the couch, which sat closest to the recliner that was currently occupied by her oldest step-brother Derek's butt.

"Hey, Liz", Casey said, tiredly. "How was your day?"

"Hey, Casey, it was fine. I went to Maria's house this afternoon; she wanted to show me her new turtle."

Casey made a face; she wasn't fond of reptiles. "That's, ummm, great, Liz. Did she name the turtle yet?"

Lizzie nodded, "Yup, Myrtle."

Casey crossed her eyes, "Myrtle the Turtle?"

Lizzie giggled, "Yeah, she's into things that rhyme."

"Yeah, but at least when I rhyme, it's funny", Edwin piped up, from the opposite end of the couch. Marti, who was in between him and Lizzie, leaning on him, fighting to keep her eyes open, giggled.

Derek, who still had his eyes trained on the television, muttered under his breath, just loudly enough to be heard, "That's what you think."

"Hey!" Edwin cried in protest.

"It's okay Edwin", Marti said, slightly more awake now that something interesting was going on. "I think your jokes are funny."

"Aw, thanks, Marti", Edwin says. "At least someone appreciates humor", he continued, as an aside to his older brother.

Derek glanced at his brother now that the show had gone to a commercial, "Congrats, Ed. You can entertain a nine-year-old. No offense, Smarti."

"Smerek! I'm almost ten!" shrieked the sleepy girl, in protest.

Any lingering comments were cut off, at least temporarily, by the entrance of George and Nora, who had been previously down in the basement taking care of some bills, and basically having their hour and a half of standing quiet time after dinner. This was really the only enforced rule in the house, mostly because if there wasn't peace after dinner, there would be hell to pay.

Nora leaned on the arm of the couch by Edwin as George scooped up Marti, saying, "You're right, Marti, you will be ten soon, but if you don't get enough sleep, you will have to be nine forever. You don't want that, do you?" he asked.

She shook her head. "When I turn ten", she started, "will I still get presents?"

Everyone held back their laughter at this question. Marti would always be the most unique and comical person any of them had ever met.

"Of course you will, honey. You will always get presents on your birthday! And to have birthdays, you have to get enough sleep. So why don't we go upstairs and get ready for bed before you say goodnight to everyone, and maybe Derek will read you a story?" he finished in somewhat of a question towards his oldest son.

Marti's eyes lit up, "Pleeease, Smerek?" she asked, as she fidgeted in her father's arms to be let down and she went and jumped into her oldest brother's lap.

Derek grinned at his sister who acted so much like him; he could never deny her anything, not that he would ever want to. "Sure, Smarti, go brush your teeth and put on your pajamas, then come get me, okay?"

She scrambled down and ran quickly up the stairs, and presumably to the bathroom where the door was slammed shut.

Everyone was trying to contain their laughter at the scene that had unfolded before them. Derek was trying to act oblivious, as he flipped through the TV channels, finally glanced over to see everyone staring at him, "What?" he asked offhandedly.

The family just shook their heads, pretending to do other things, with the exception of Casey, who jumped up from her seat and walked the few paces to Derek's seat in the recliner. He watched her warily, before an annoyed look crossed his face as she pinched his cheek, saying, "Aw, Smarti loves her Smerek."

He batted her hand away, as she giggled. She backed away as she saw the look he was giving her, saying, "I have to go take a shower", and quickly running up towards the stairs, stopping to hug and kiss Marti goodnight as they crossed paths on the bottom stair.

As she was closing the bathroom door, she heard Marti's shrill voice saying, "Smerek! I'm ready for bed now!" and the laughter that followed, caused most likely by Derek flying her around the room to hug everyone before he took her upstairs on his shoulders as usual.

Casey finished her long shower about twenty minutes later, feeling much better than she had when she got home. She didn't feel nearly as tense, but the knots in her muscles seemed to have taken up a permanent residence. She walked swiftly to her bedroom, carefully holding up her towel, annoyed that she had forgotten to get pajamas on her way to the bathroom.

She closed her bedroom door behind her, and locked it for good measure. Nobody knew how to knock in this house, especially Derek, and it had caused many close calls in the past three years. She had already combed out her dripping hair, and now took her towel off and wrapped it around her head as she approached her dresser in search of her forgotten pajamas.

Thankful that tomorrow was Saturday and she had the whole weekend to relax, she slid on a pair of short black shorts that she would never wear out of the house and a red spaghetti strap tank top that wasn't quite long enough to cover her long torso.

She had just unwrapped the towel from her now damp long hair from the towel to re-brush it, hoping to prevent the usual knots and snarls that aggravated her so, when she heard the handle of her door about to turn, followed by a dull thud, and "Ow!"

Casey couldn't help the grin that crossed her face as she walked to the door before unlocking it and pulling it open. She almost collapsed in laughter when she saw Derek glaring at her door knob holding his head. The glare was now directed at her as she went and sat on her bed, still facing him. "Did you want something?" she asked him innocently, running her brush through her hair again.

"Casey", he groaned. "Why did your door just attack me?"

Her eyes danced mirthfully as he stepped into the room just enough to lean against the wall by the door. "Hey, it's not my fault you can't work a door."

"Hey! _I_ can work a door!" he said emphatically. He didn't think anything about the ridiculousness of his statement until Casey quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Oh never mind", he said. "Why was your door locked, anyways?"

"Because", she retorted in annoyance, "apparently, I'm the only one in this family who knows how to knock! You really should try it sometime. It's fairly easy; I think even you could do it."

"Whoa, Space Case, what's gotten into you?" he wondered. Sure they bantered and all, but this was way more harsh of a comeback than necessary.

"Nothing", she stated in a normal tone, before muttering under her breath, "Unfortunately."

Derek stood there gaping at her until he realized his mouth was hanging open. _She did not just say that._ But he could have sworn that he just heard Casey make what he assumed to be her first lewd comment. But, the look on her face betrayed nothing, and if he hadn't heard it himself, he wouldn't have believed it. This is why Casey had to ask him the same question no less than three times before he even heard it.

"Derek?" she said in annoyance.

"What?" he asked, still feeling a little confused.

"I asked what you came in here for in the first place. Three times", she added, for good measure.

"What?" he muttered.

Casey smacked herself on the forehead. "Derek!" she growled in annoyance.

"Oh", he said, coming back into the conversation. "Nora wanted me to tell you that she made you a plate since you missed dinner. It's in the fridge."

"Okay, thanks", she said, "but I don't think I'm hungry." As if on cue, her stomach rumbled quite loudly.

Derek raised his eyebrows at Casey. She laughed in embarrassment. "Okay, so maybe I'm just too tired to walk all the way downstairs."

"Ummm, why?" Derek asked her in confusion.

Casey set her hairbrush on her dresser and flopped backwards on her bed with a groan of frustration. "Diane is trying to kill me that's why!" she exclaimed huffily.

Derek took a seat in the chair in front of her computer trying to break into Casey's online journal before asking, "Your dance instructor?"

"Yes", Casey whined, covering her face with her hands. "Stupid her, she expects me to be able to handle being the main in two sets _and_ have a solo! This is supposed to be freaking summer vacation, and I have to work my ass off! It's not fair! And I am way too stressed to enjoy this weekend because I have to practice my solo that is just_ not working_! And I can't figure out how to fix it!"

Derek looked up in time to see Casey on the verge of pulling her hair out in frustration, and said, "Now, I'm not usually one to be helpful-"

"No kidding", Casey said.

"Casey." He gave her a pointed look.

"Sorry."

"As I was saying", he continued, but not before glaring at her, "I'm not usually a helpful person, _but_ I will say that since you're Keener Casey you should have no problem figuring it out."

"Derek", Casey started, "you realize that wasn't exactly advice, right?"

"Ok so it wasn't so much advice as it was a pep talk", he conceded as he continued trying to hack into her computer.

"So, I should be feeling… peppy, now?" she wondered. "'Cause if that's the case, you need to work on your pep talks."

Derek looked back at her with a grin, "How about something better than shitty?"

She nodded, "Ah, now that could work. Thanks Derek", she grinned. "Maybe I can drag myself downstairs for some food. Now will you stop trying to break into my computer and get out, so I can go downstairs and eat dinner?"

Derek turned to see Casey heading out the door, and he said, "I'll leave if you tell me your password."

She didn't even give him a second look as she walked out of her room and into the hallway towards the stairs, as she replied, "Nope", knowing he would inevitably follow her.

Derek waited until she was about half way down the stairs before following behind her, figuring that if he really wanted to, he could send Edwin to crack the password, but it wasn't really necessary right now; he had just been using it as a distraction while pretending not to care all that much about her problems.

Derek trailed behind her to the kitchen reaching around her into the refrigerator, grabbing some left over Chinese take-out before she could even get her plate out. Derek let her use the microwave with little argument considering she hadn't eaten in about twelve hours, which she was grateful for, but decided against saying anything about it.

She took her heated up plate into the living room, sitting in her usual spot on the couch, taking the remote from Lizzie and Edwin, who knew better than to argue. They should have been sick of watching _Degrassi_ reruns anyhow.

Casey scrolled through the channel menu for a few minutes, before landing on _Seinfeld_ as Derek took a seat. He made a motion to take the remote, but changed his mind once he saw what they were watching, and left his arm dangling off the arm of the recliner.

This was one of the few television shows all the kids could agree on, and as much as Derek loved fighting with Casey, he wasn't willing to put his Chinese leftovers at her mercy… and he really didn't want to rock the boat, seeing as she was already unbelievably stressed. After all, she had a strong arm. And more than ever, he regretted when she talked him into helping her learn to throw a decent punch; she could throw a fairly painful right hook.

Derek's inaction towards the remote, decidedly dismissed by Casey, did not go unnoticed by Lizzie and Edwin. When he was sure they were being ignored, Edwin raised both of his eyebrows in question towards Lizzie who nodded. _Did she see that? Of course she saw that! _ Lizzie made a face. _They are being too quiet over there. What's wrong with them?_ This was so going in the notebook!


	2. Chapter 2

**Derek's Favorite Form of Torture**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own LWD… or much of anything, but I'm working on it. **A/N:** This is rated** M** for a reason, so if you are offended by sexual content (begins in this chapter) and some language, but not too much, do not read this. Otherwise, enjoy!! And I am trying to make it so we get to see the other characters despite the two main ones of course. Lol. Btw, this is my first **M** rated fic, so let me know what you think. Reviews!!

**Summary:** Casey and Derek always have something to fight about, but what happens when Derek finds his favorite form of torture?

**Chapter 2:**

When Casey woke up the following morning, she was thrilled to remember that it was Saturday. She glanced at her alarm clock, and seeing as it read 9:23 a.m., she threw the covers off and cheerfully jumped out of bed.

She went to her closet and picked out a baby pink polo and a faded denim skirt along with some pink sandals. She set her outfit on her computer chair heading to her dresser to find her undergarments. She found her favorite black lacy bra and matching boxer panties, and put them with her outfit.

She quickly straightened the covers of her bed, before grabbing her clothes and making her way to the bathroom. She was thrilled that the bathroom was free for a change, and she went to the bathroom and brushed her teeth before enjoying an uninterrupted shower. Twenty minutes later Casey had dressed and was blow drying her long brown hair when she heard a knock against the door.

Casey turned off the blow dryer, setting it on the counter before approaching the door, unlocking it before swinging it open, and seeing Lizzie.

"Morning, Casey", Lizzie said with a yawn.

"Hey, Liz", Casey replied, "Want to come in while I finish getting ready?"

"Yes, thanks", Lizzie said, rushing in and slamming the door before locking it. Casey and Lizzie had always shared a bathroom, even in their apartment in Toronto. When their Nora and Dennis had still been married, they had shared a quaint bathroom that had connected their rooms, while their parents had a bathroom attached to their master bedroom.

When Nora had taken the girls apartment shopping after the divorce, happily including them in the hunt, the three of them had agreed that two bathrooms were necessary. While Casey and Lizzie were fine sharing a bathroom with one another, they knew one would be too small for the three of them to use to get ready in the mornings.

Lizzie began her morning routine, while Casey finished her hair, deciding to leave it down, before starting on her makeup. Once the dull roar of the hair dryer had stopped, Lizzie thought about how to broach last night's events with her overly-analytical sister.

Finally, deciding the direct approach was probably best, Lizzie turned to her sister, saying, "Hey, Case, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, Liz, what's up?" Casey replied, turning away from the mirror.

Lizzie looked at her sister cautiously before asking, "What was up with you and Derek last night?"

Casey looked at her sister's curious face before saying, "I don't know what you're talking about, Liz."

"Casey!" Lizzie said with a frustrated groan, "You guys were acting weirder than normal, even for you-"

"Hey!" Casey interrupted her sister's implication of not being normal.

"C'mon, Casey", Lizzie said reasonably, "you two were being… nice."

"Ummm… So?" Casey questioned.

"Casey! You guys are never nice to each other!" Lizzie exclaimed in frustration.

"Lizzie, do you really think Derek and are completely incapable of being even remotely nice to each other? Because that's absolutely ridiculous", Casey finished in a slight annoyance.

"No. I really think it's not-", Lizzie started, but she was interrupted by the bathroom door swinging open before Marti walked in sleepily.

Looking up at the commotion, the nine-year-old said, "Could you guys, like, get out? I have to _pee!_"

Lizzie was still in her pajamas, but finished with the bathroom, so she scurried out, happy to be away from Casey's impending wrath.

Casey quickly gathered the contents of her makeup bag and hurried for her room to finish getting ready for the day.

Casey had eaten breakfast and was now sitting on the couch in her usual spot, with Marti sitting in between her and Lizzie, watching cartoons. Marti giggled as the anvil fell on the coyote's head, making Casey and Lizzie grin. Several minutes later the phone rang.

About twenty minutes later, Nora came in and turned off the television, looking at them seriously. "Lizzie, can you go wake up Edwin, please? Casey, go drag Derek out of bed. We just received some news, and we need to have a family meeting."

Casey looked at her mother, "Is everything alright?"

"Basically yes, but George will be up in a minute, and we'd like to tell you all what's going on at the same time", she said, using a calmer voice, hoping not to worry her children.

Lizzie's eyes widened, "You're not pregnant, are you?"

Nora blinked a few times, before saying, "No. We have enough chaos as it is, hun", she said with a small laugh.

Lizzie and Casey sighed collectively in relief. "C'mon Liz", Casey said, standing up. "Let's go wake up-"

"The monsters", Lizzie finished. "At least I have a nice monster", she commented as they went up the stairs, leaving Nora alone with Marti trying to find out information.

"Wanna switch with me?" Casey asked.

"No way! It's barely eleven o'clock. Derek would murder me!" Lizzie said with a shiver.

"Fine", said Casey in a whiny voice. "But if he attacks me in his sleep, I'm blaming you."

Lizzie giggled at her sister's childish behavior, "Well, good luck with that", she said, opening the door to the attic which was now Edwin's room. Before she started up the stairs, she looked over her shoulder at Casey saying, "If it's any consolation, I'm pretty sure Derek would rather you woke him up than any of the rest of us", then she flew up the stairs, yelling, "Edwin! Get your butt out of bed now!"

Casey shook her head, saying to herself, "Yeah, that doesn't really help at all." With that said, she knocked on the door, turned the handle and entered _the lair_.

When she got the door opened far enough, Casey poked her head in, only to find Derek still in bed, just like she thought. He was lying flat on his stomach with his head facing the opposite direction of the door.

Casey smiled softly at the sight before she grimaced, realizing that now was not the time to play nice, seeing as her mother had said to _drag_ him out of bed. Her mother had become accustomed to the fact the Derek was a very deep sleeper – well he was good at ignoring interruptions in his sleepy state - and was nearly impossible for anyone to rouse in the morning, especially on a Saturday. Nora gave whoever had the task of waking him up, full permission to use any force necessary, not that Casey wouldn't have done that anyways.

Fully entering the room, Casey leaned against the wall near his bed, "Derek, wake up", she said in a slightly loud voice. No response. She leaned over to shake his shoulder, "Derek, you have to get up!"

This elicited muffled noises that she couldn't understand, "What?"

Derek raised his head slightly away from the pillow, "Go away. I'm trying to sleep."

Casey rolled her eyes, "Derek, it's not my fault you sneaked out to a party in the middle of the night and were out until four this morning! Get up and deal with it!"

Derek turned over to look at Casey, "How did you know I snuck out last night?"

She rolled her eyes with a groan, "Derek, even you should know by now that I'm a light sleeper, unlike you who can sleep through a hurricane."

His eyes narrowed as he stared at her, "Exactly how light of a sleeper?" he questioned suspiciously.

She glared at him before biting out, "Do you really want me to relate your escapades back to you?"

He raised an eyebrow at her thoughtfully as something like guilt crossed his still tired features. Unfortunately, that was as much as she got, because he turned back over saying, "I'm going back to sleep."

Casey looked at him viciously before ripping his pillow out from underneath his head, only to begin hitting him with it repeatedly. If she hadn't been so angry she would have noticed that Derek was equally pissed off as he turned back and wrenched the pillow away from her in the middle of another hit.

He stood up in annoyance, saying, in a low voice, "Casey if you don't go away and leave me the fuck alone I will personally remove you from my room."

Now if it had been anyone else, they would have run out the door faster that Casey could say 'Der-ek!' But Casey just lifted her chin in defiance, saying, "As much as I would love to not be in here right now, and believe me, that's quite a bit, however, my mom and George want you downstairs because they have something to tell us all. So get your lazy ass out of bed!"

Derek eyed her silently for a moment before he gave her a careful shove out the door, saying, "Tell them I'll be down in a minute", and slammed his door in her face.

Casey stared at the door for a minute before growling at it, which Derek heard through the door, causing him to laugh, before Casey hit the door saying, impatiently, "Hurry up!" and quickly tromping down the stairs to take her seat on the couch.

At her mother and George's expectant looks, she rolled her eyes slightly saying, "He'll be down in a minute." They nodded and continued to stare at the kids who were seated in front of them, squished onto the couch.

When it seemed like the silence was about to choke them all, they heard Derek slowly making his way down the stairs before flopping into his recliner and noisily flipping up the leg rest. Once he became aware of everyone staring at him, he said, "Ok, what is so important that you needed to subject me to Casey this early in the morning? Nora, did you know that your daughter had such a potty mouth? Oh, how long will this take, because if it's gonna be a long 'conversation' then I gonna get some breakfast first", he finished, about to stand up.

George finally stepped in, saying, "This won't take long so just stay put. We got a phone call from a hospital near Vancouver; apparently Aunt Madge fell and twisted her ankle." George held up a hand before the kids freaked out, saying, "She's going to be fine, but apparently she can't be released until she has someone to take care of her for the next few weeks. Having said that, Nora and I have to go to pick up Aunt Madge and stay with her until she can take care of herself again. Casey, Derek, we know that you two have obligations and have to stay here, but Lizzie, Edwin, and Marti don't start they're summer camps until the last week of next month. So you three will be coming with us", he finished looking at them.

"We are leaving first thing in the morning, guys", Nora said. "So go upstairs and start packing. Make sure you have everything you need for the next month, but please try to only use two bags each. Marti, you can bring four stuffed animals, and I'll help you pack, ok, sweetheart?"

"Ok!" Marti said, all the while thinking about how many extra 'friends' she could fit into her bags along with her clothes, and she happily skipped up the stairs to her room, singing, "We're going on a trip, we're going on a trip!"

Casey was sitting silently, mostly in shock over the fact that she was being left alone with Derek for slightly over a month, she groaned inwardly. This was _such_ a bad idea. If she didn't have her dance recital at the end of the month, she would be begging to come with them for a six hour car ride. _That's_ how much she didn't want to be left alone with Derek.

George glanced towards the stairs, making sure that Marti was safely in her room, before saying, "Ok, listen guys, we plan to get back here sometime between August third and fifth, but that's only a week before Marti's birthday, which will cutting it a little close. So, we're going to need you guys to help out with a few things."

Edwin looked at his father before saying, "Dad, you realize that Lizzie and I are coming with you guys, right?"

Nora laughed lightly, "We didn't forget, we're not _that_ bad." The kids wisely refrained from saying anything, so she continued, "We just wanted you two to know ahead of time that you guys are going to help out while we are taking care of Aunt Madge so we can get two things done at once. Now you two go upstairs and get packed so we can talk with Derek and Casey. And Lizzie, can you see if you can help Marti get started, and I'll be up in a few minutes?" Nora asked.

"Sure, Mom", Lizzie said. "C'mon Ed, let's get packing." They headed up the stairs, following Marti's example, acting childishly, began singing in unison, "We're going on a trip, we're going on a trip!"

Casey laughed, while shaking her head at her sister and younger step-brother, she snorted at the thought of her and _Derek _acting like that, then realized that he and their parents were looking at her oddly. "Sorry", she said, trying to get rid of her giggles.

Derek, not missing a beat, said, "What's the matter, Case? Still can't get rid of the voices in your head?"

Casey rolled her eyes, finally looking at George and her mother expectantly.

Nora eyed the family trouble-makers sternly for a moment before saying, "George and I aren't very happy with the idea of leaving the two of you home alone for over a month. If you didn't have obligations, we would make you come with us. So we are expecting the two of you to behave yourselves, and at least _try_ to get along. And, I swear, that if this house is not in the original one piece that we are leaving it in, when we get back, the cost will be divided and cut out of your allowances."

George laid a hand on his wife's shoulder before she got completely worked up. Nora took a breath, before stepping back and motioning for George to continue. "Derek, Casey, I hope you realize that we are taking a huge chance by doing this, and we expect you to take this seriously, otherwise there will be serious consequences besides allowance dockage."

Derek and Casey glanced at each other quickly before nodding at their parents calmly. George and Nora glanced at each other at that little display before Nora continued, "Casey we will leave you enough money for the next month, it will be for groceries and take-out. Your allowances are for extra things that you don't need but may want. The bills are paid online, so don't worry about any of that. Just keep the house clean, and take care of the plants. Derek, absolutely no parties, the only other people allowed in this house while we're gone is Sam, Ralph, and Emily", she said pointedly looking at Derek.

George finished their planned speech saying, "If you leave the house, make sure you have your house keys and cell phones with you at all times. Make sure you both know where the other is going in case of an emergency. We will call you when we get there and have Aunt Madge settled at home, then we will call you _no less_ than every two days, and randomly in between. Derek, no breaking into the money stash that we're giving Casey, no parties, and try not to be annoying."

Derek rolled his eyes. "I thought you said this wasn't going to take long." At the look from his father, he finished by saying, "There will be no parties, I'll just borrow Edwin's money if I need it, and I make no promises about Casey."

Casey took a couch pillow and threw it at his head before saying to their parents, "We'll be fine. Don't worry about it; you have enough on your minds right now."

Derek threw the pillow back at Casey, hitting _her_ in the head, saying, "Stop throwing pillows at me."

George took out his wallet and pulled out enough bills to add up to somewhere around five hundred dollars and handing it to Casey who was staring at him wide-eyed, saying, "Hide this, and remember I want the change back." She nodded and stuffed it into the pocket of her jean skirt for safe keeping until she could find the perfect spot for it.

"Alright", Nora said, "Derek, you can go eat breakfast now." He jumped quickly off the chair and barreled into the kitchen slamming cupboards while getting his cereal. She turned to her daughter and husband with a smile, "Georgie, can you get out two suitcases for us while I go pack for Marti? I know she's probably packing all her stuffed animals, and I'm hoping that she won't notice if I slip some clothes in", she said with a laugh as she jogged her way up the stairs.

George looked at Casey, saying, "We're taking our cell phone. So if you need us for anything, just call, ok?"

Casey gave him a soft smile, "We will, but don't worry, everything will be fine." He nodded and headed to his and Nora's basement bedroom, leaving Casey to enjoy the television by herself for once.

Unfortunately this was interrupted when she was struck with a thought and made her way up the stairs to find her mother who was still in Marti's room. "Mom", she said coming into the room which resembled Derek's, at least mess-wise, but was covered in purple walls and animal posters.

"Hey, Casey, can you help us find Marti's purple jacket? I'm afraid we might need at some point", Nora stated, slightly frazzled.

"Sure, Mom", Casey said, "But I came up here because I realized that you guys are all going to be gone for my dance recital." Now Casey was still a drama queen in some sense, but living in such a large family had thankfully mellowed her out over the past two and a half years.

Nora stopped what she was doing, searching the bottom of the closet, to stand up and face her daughter. "Oh, Casey I'm so sorry, honey. With all the craziness it completely slipped my mind", she said apologetically.

Casey sighed, "It's okay, Mom. I mean, I'm disappointed, but I know it can't be helped. Just promise that we can buy the video and watch it?" she asked.

Nora gave her daughter a hug, "Of course we can. Thanks for being so understanding, I really am sorry. But you know, Derek will still be here", she said with a smirk.

Casey pulled away from her mother to stare at her in shock before doubling over in laughing. "That's… a good one, Mom", she said trying to catch her breath. A few minutes later, she calmed down enough to stand upright, still smiling, she simply said, "Mom, I think I'll just ask Emily. She already said she would."

Then she turned to Marti who had become distracted and was now playing with Sir Monks-a-lot on the floor, and said, "C'mon, Marti, let's go downstairs and look for your jacket."

The next morning was filled with chaos as five of the seven person household tried to pack all of their belongings into the trunk of family car. George had taken it upon himself to wake up Derek and make him help load the car, knowing he only agreed because he planned on going straight back to sleep.

By eleven o'clock, Casey and Derek were watching in amusement as Nora ran down the checklist of necessary items as their three siblings stood in a line, watching her warily. The car had been packed to the brim, and there wasn't much room left for anything extra besides the snacks that were supposed to hold them over until they stopped for lunch in a few hours.

"Alright, everybody", George said in a booming voice, catching everyone's attention, "Make your bathroom trips now! We leave in exactly ten minutes."

As the kids scattered to the bathroom, and Nora and George went into the kitchen, Derek turned to Casey saying under his breath, "Wow, it may have taken almost three years, but I think they've finally gotten down that scary tag-team thing."

Casey nodded in agreement, "Yeah that was definitely scary. And maybe I am glad I don't have to go, even if it means I have to be stuck with you", she finished cheekily.

He gave her a mock glare,"Touching, really."

Before they could say anything else, everyone returned to the family room. "Okay kids, let hit the road!" Nora said enthusiastically. She pulled Derek and Casey off their seats on the bottom platform of the stairs to give them both hugs; Derek had long given up on the pretense of hating hugs from Nora, and willingly returned the hug.

When she reached her daughter to give her a tight hug, she said, "I am really sorry, Casey, but I'm sure it will be fine." She kissed her on the head and stood back so the rest of the family could say goodbye without interference. She spotted Derek holding Marti while he gave Edwin the preferred nuggie.

Lizzie had given Casey a hug, promising to call frequently, before she traded with Edwin who gave Casey a quick hug, saying, "Try to keep Derek out of my room?"

"Sure, Ed, I'll try", Casey said with a laugh.

Edwin headed to stand by Nora, and Casey had to stifle a smile at the sight of Derek allowing Lizzie a quick hug, causing a pleasantly surprised look on the young girl's face, all the while Marti was hanging off his neck like a monkey.

"Smarti, you have to let go now so you can go with Dad and Nora on your road trip, remember?" Derek said, trying to coax the little girl to let go.

"Smerek, I'm gonna miss you", said the little girl sullenly.

"I'll miss you, too, but you can call me anytime you want. And the month will be over before you know it."

He gave her another tight hug before setting her down and she ran to Casey, who kneeled down to hug the little girl who had become another sister to her and said, "Bye, Marti, have fun!"

She gave Casey their bunny-nose kiss, and said, "Bye, Casey! I'll miss you too!" and she followed Edwin and Lizzie out the door.

George and Nora looked at their oldest children skeptically, before George said, "Try to behave while we're gone, ok? We'll call when we get there."

"Later", Derek said.

"Bye kids", they said in unison. Then they left, slamming the door behind them.


	3. Chapter 3

Derek's Favorite Form of Torture3

**Summary:** Casey and Derek always have something to fight about, but what happens when Derek finds his favorite form of torture?

**Rating: M **(this is for a reason, so don't say I didn't warn you!!)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own LWD, sadly… and I probably never will… tears and I don't own anything else. But I did watch _Ocean's Thirteen_ before I started working on this. LOL.

**Chapter 3:**

Casey was in the kitchen making spaghetti and garlic bread for her and Derek for dinner that night when the phone rang. Glancing at the clock, she decided that it probably wasn't their parents yet, considering it was only six o'clock. She knew that between her mom, George, and the kids, they would be delayed by getting lost, bathroom breaks and food stops, until at least 8:00pm that night.

The phone suddenly stopped ringing, and Casey figure that Derek had answered it. A few minutes later, while Casey was finishing the salad, he came down saying, "When's dinner?"

Casey looked up at him before grabbing two plates from the cabinet, "Now", she said setting the plates down with a clink. "Who was on the phone?"

"Just Sam", Derek replied. "He wanted to know if we were still playing video games tomorrow." Sunday afternoons had been devoted to "boy time" during the summer, for at least the past few years. Casey usually spent that day shopping with Emily, but tomorrow Emily's family was going to visit her grandmother for the day, because they hadn't been able to last Saturday like they had planned.

Casey nodded. "And you told him, 'duh, of course'?" Casey said with a laugh.

"Casey", Derek started, "When have you ever heard me say 'duh', besides just now?"

She rolled her eyes, "Probably never", she conceded. "But there's a first time for everything. Go put this on the table", she said, handing him the salad bowl. She took the plates and silverware, and set them on the table before going back to get the bread basket that she had put the sliced garlic bread in. She left the pot of spaghetti to Derek, seeing as she still had enough klutzy moments to cause a disaster.

After grabbing their drinks, they sat down to enjoy an unusually quiet dinner. Surprisingly to Casey, the only semi-incidental thing that happened was Derek, for some reason or other, threatening to throw a meatball at her head. This elicited a shriek from Casey, and he popped it into his mouth.

They had settled in for the night and we somewhere in the beginning of _Ocean's Thirteen _when the phone rang. Casey groaned as she reached behind her to grab the phone and hit talk.

"Hello?" she said, assuming it was her mother.

"Hi, honey", Nora said. "We're at Aunt Madge's now. We are all exhausted and about to go to bed, but we wanted to check in. How's everything going so far?"

"Mom, chill", Casey said, "you've only been gone like eight hours. We're just watching a movie."

"That's good. Let me talk to Derek, okay?" Nora said.

"Just a minute", she replied. Casey took the phone away from her ear. "Derek", she hissed, "My mom wants to talk to you."

Derek took the phone, "Hey, Nora", he said, "You guys get lost again?"

Casey stifled a laugh as Derek winced comically, most likely getting a speech from her mother stating the fact that they do _not_ get lost every time they leave town, even though that's not true.

"Uh-huh", he said, not really paying attention to Nora's rambling, "Don't worry, Nora. I'll make sure Casey gets to bed on time", he said, giving a wink to Casey who was staring at him incredulously, causing her open mouth shut with a snap.

"Ok, sure", he said. "Later, Nora", and he hung up. Looking at Casey, he said, "She said goodnight."

"Figured", Casey said, once again leaning against the arm rest of the couch, her hair covering her face. They sat in silence for a few minutes before either of them spoke again.

"Case?" Derek started.

"Hmmm?" she mumbled, feeling sleepy.

"What was Nora going on about?" he asked her cautiously.

At this, Casey sat up a little straighter as she gave him a strange look. "You were supposed to be listening, how should I know?"

"She was going on and on about dancers in tutu's. And something about a video", he added as an afterthought.

Casey groaned. Still looking at the television, she said slowly, "My summer dance recital. It's in two weeks. They're all going to be gone, so I told my mom we could just buy the tape, not that we don't anyway."

Derek looked at her incredulously, "And you didn't have a Casey freak-out?"

She gave him a grimace, "Derek, I'm a little too old to be throwing tantrums, don't cha think?-"

"That's never stopped you before", he said with a smirk.

"Besides", she continued, ignoring him, "Emily is coming, so it's fine."

"If you say so", he said, turning back to the movie, clearly not believing it. Then he looked at her seriously, "And don't expect me to be helpful by making me deal with you freaking out."

She gave him a smirk, saying, "Oh, don't worry. I never expect you to be helpful."

"Good", he said.

"Except…" she started carefully.

"What, Casey?" he groaned.

"Can I have the car that night? Emily's parents won't let her drive their car after the _incident_", Casey said.

Derek looked at her suspiciously, "What _incident_?"

Casey sighed, "We snuck out to go to a party at Toronto University last month, for an end of school bash. You know, the weekend that her parents and Dimi went out of town. My friend Tracy goes there and she told me about it. I stupidly mentioned it to Emily, and then suddenly found myself getting dragged to this party. Her parents found out and now she can't use their car anymore. She has to wait until she can buy her own."

"You let Emily talk you into sneaking out of the house to go to a college party all the way in Toronto? How come I didn't know about this and why the hell wasn't I invited?" he asked in a shocked voice.

"So can I have the car that night?" Casey asked, ignoring his outburst.

"I guess so", he said in, his tone suggesting that he was doing her a huge favor. "But", he added, "If you hurt my car, I will kill you."

She rolled her eyes, "Of course", she said, patronizingly. "Thank you", she finished. "I think I'm gonna go to bed, now. Night Derek", she said, getting up and heading to the stairs.

"Night, Casey", he replied, still watching the movie.

**Four Days Later:**

Thursday evening, Casey came home from her dance class, once again, completely exhausted. She had cooked a pot roast that morning for Derek to heat up for dinner while she was gone, and now she was starving.

She trudged through the front door, holding her bag loosely in her hand. Dropping the bag on the floor to pick up later, Casey passed Derek who was sitting in his recliner watching hockey reruns. "Hey, Derek", she said tiredly. He gave a grunt in reply as she went into the kitchen for a late dinner.

Coming back into the family room about fifteen minutes later, plate in hand, Casey collapsed against the softness of the couch cushions with a groan as she stared at the plate of food blankly.

A few minutes later she found enough energy to begin eating, only to have the calming effect of the TV be interrupted by Derek now that there were only commercials to watch. "Hey Case. Long day?"

She turned to him with bleary eyes, "Yes", she stated in a whiny voice.

"You look like crap", he stated bluntly.

She gave him a half glare out of the corner of her eyes, before saying sarcastically, "Really? Because I feel fantastic."

"Really?" he asked, playing along.

"No", she moaned. "If I could get a decent night's sleep then maybe I wouldn't feel like complete shit, but that's not likely."

He raised an eyebrow, but didn't pursue it, so they sat in a semi-silence for the next few hours.

Around eleven o'clock, as usual, Casey got up, heading to her room to make an attempt at finding the sleep that had been so elusive lately. However, this time instead of walking to the stairs, she made a detour to the kitchen.

At this change in routine, Derek eyed her curiously. He saw he rifling through the medicine cabinet and he stood up, leisurely making his way into the kitchen to see what Casey was up to. "Whatcha doing, Case?" he said from his position against the door jam, causing her to jump slightly.

"God, Derek! Don't sneak up on me like that", she said in an annoyed tone.

"Sorry", he said, sheepishly. "So, what are you doing?"

She sighed, "I'm trying to find some of my mom's muscle relaxers, anything so I can get some sleep, but we only have aspirin." She walked past him back into the family room and leaned against the back of the couch.

Derek eyed her carefully before asking incredulously, "You're trying to knock yourself out with muscle relaxers? How do you think that's going to help you sleep?"

She gave him a look, before relenting, "I can't fall asleep because my back is full of knots from being stressed out and my feet hurt from dancing so much. I can't get rid of them. They've been there for like two weeks, and Lizzie didn't have strong enough hands to get them out."

He raised an eyebrow at her before walking over to her and taking a seat in the middle of the couch with a sigh. Casey, figuring this was the end of the discussion, stood up the rest of the way, and was about to go upstairs, when Derek's voice interrupted her, "Case, get over here."

She turned around surprised, "What?" she asked cautiously.

He turned his head to look at her, "Do you want to get some sleep tonight or not?"

She sighed as she walked over only to stand in front of him, "Yes."

He motioned for her to sit on the cushion to the right of him, and she complied silently. She sat there looking at him curiously until he rolled his eyes and motioned for her to turn around. She was wondering what was up with the silence when she felt him move behind her and his strong hand gripped her shoulders.

Her muscles tightened involuntarily at the contact. "Derek?" she questioned, still not completely up to speed at the sudden turn of events.

He gave her muscles between her neck and shoulders a gentle squeeze, "Ow", she said, wincing.

"Sorry, but you have to try to chill, ok? Otherwise this won't help that much and it'll just hurt", he said, gently probing the muscles in her back, gauging the knots, "Jesus, Casey", he said as he found the largest one.

"What?" she asked still shocked at the contact.

"How long have you had these? No wonder you can't sleep", he said.

"Almost three weeks", she said in a soft tone, shivering as she felt the contact of skin as his hands slid cautiously up her back under her shirt.

Derek was focusing his concentration on _not_ thinking about the fact that his hands were touching Casey's bare skin and she was making no protest. She had taken a shower shortly after her late dinner, and the ends of her damp hair was brushing his hands, sending shockwaves throughout his body.

With her being dressed in only a blue _Ramones_ t-shirt and black shorts, he had to fight off his wandering thoughts; which worked until a few minutes later when he heard himself saying, "Hey, Case?"

"Hmmm?" she murmured, her face buried against the cushion she had propped against the arm of the couch.

"Let's go upstairs, okay? Then if you fall asleep, you won't have so far to go." _Did I seriously just say that? _He thought to himself. _Not good._

"Mmmm, ok", she said, standing up on tired legs.

He walked behind her up the stairs, prepared to catch her in she fell, but they made it to the top without incident thankfully.

She was about to walk into her bedroom, when Derek grabbed her upper arm gently redirecting her to his room instead. "What's wrong with my room?" she asked impetuously.

"I like my bed better", he said, not really having a real reason other than the fact that he wanted her in his bed.

"Fine", she said with a _humph_ of annoyance.

"Lay down", he said, smirking as he watched her attempting to straighten the mess of sheets and blankets on his bed before grabbing both pillows and stacking them before warily situating herself in the middle of the bed resting her head on the pillows, her hair to one side as she turned to look at him.

"Well", she said, "Now what?"

He watched her for a minute before grabbing a remote and turning on his stereo, turning it down just low enough that they could hear the low tones of his _Crossfade_ cd that he knew they both liked, considering Casey often stole it from him for days at a time, and making his way over to her to kneel on her left side on the bed in the space she had left for him.

The calm beat of the music helped take away the tenseness in the air. This provided Derek with enough of a distraction to be able to slide his hands under Casey's shirt and begin kneading the tight muscles.

Casey let out a deep sigh as she finally allowed herself to completely relax and sank farther into the mattress. Letting go of the troubling thoughts that she had been harboring in her mind for the past few week, she relished in the feel of Derek's hands working the knots and kinks out of her tortured muscles. This, however, brought on a new set of thoughts that had her completely distracted for the next few minutes.

She was brought out of her reverie by Derek's voice, saying somewhat amusedly, "Hey, uh, Case? I think your gonna have to lose the shirt", he finished, apparently fighting off laughter.

Casey whipped around quickly, before bolting upright and getting in his face to say incredulously, "What the hell?! You have got to be kidding!"

Grinning at her suggestively, he barely managed to hold back his laughter at the look on her face, and say seriously, "C'mon, Casey, it's in the way."

"Sure it is", she said, rolling her eyes before she settled back into her former position on her stomach, pointedly ignoring him.

Maybe his judgment had been clouded by this strange new contact and the thought of Casey in his bed without a shirt on, but whatever the reason, his next actions would change the current formations of their lives forever.

Derek had been sitting motionless for several minutes before realizing that Casey was eyeing him suspiciously. So, he did the first thing that popped into his head. He grabbed her around the waist, pulling her into his lap, and began tickling her mercilessly.

Casey was trying to give him a proper glare, but couldn't seem to manage it while she was biting her bottom lip in an attempt to hold back her impending laughter.

Finally, not being able to hold it in any longer, Casey let out a shriek of laughter as she tried to get him to stop his assault on her ticklish sides. "Der…Der-ek! Stop!" she squealed out, batting at his hands, barely able to catch her breath.

"Nope, sorry, Case", he said, his voice tinged with laughter as she squirmed under him, trying to get away. "Doctor Derek doesn't usually make house calls, and he _really _doesn't like it when his patients question his authority."

Derek had stopped tickling her, his hands now resting at her sides. She was still catching her breath as he made his last statement and she managed a groan, "That was _so_ corny", she said. Casey looked up to find him watching her intently, and she flushed, finally realizing that she had managed to squirm down far enough that her head and shoulders were only being held up by his knees.

She thought momentarily about scrambling up and running to her bedroom to lock the door and pretend none of this had happened, only to find that the intensity of the stare that Derek was giving her had made her immobile.

Derek watched as Casey's internal panic came to an abrupt stop, having to stifle the smirk that wanted to cross his face at the knowledge that it was _him_ doing this to her.

Watching her face for any protest, Derek cautiously ran his hands from her sides to her flat stomach; ending at the bottom of her t-shirt, he slowly pushed it upwards, exploring the new expanse of skin.

He felt her stomach muscles tighten under his hands, and he let them rest there a moment. When he had found his voice again, it was low and husky, "C'mon, Casey, trust me."

Looking straight into her eyes, he asked, "Do you trust me?"

_Trust, _she thought. Still paralyzed by his touch, and now his voice, she wondered. _Do I trust him?_ After a moment, she came to a conclusion…

**A/N: Hahaha. Ok so maybe I'm trying to torture you guys a little bit. But you shouldn't mind much considering that past few updates have been fairly quick. The next chapter should be up by Wednesday at the latest. And I haven't forgotten about the rest of the family, they will be in the next chapter, which I have already started. Hope you've enjoyed it so far. Reviews are always good. They're like M&Ms… you can never have too many!!**


	4. Chapter 4

Derek's Favorite Form of Torture4

**Summary:** Casey and Derek always have something to fight about, but what happens when Derek finds his favorite form of torture?

**Rating: M **(this is for a reason, so don't say I didn't warn you!!)

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own LWD pouty face LOL. **A/N:** Ok, so I know I left you guys hanging at the end of the last chapter. Cues evil laugh: muah-ha-ha-ha Ok, now you can read the story… if you haven't already… Cheaters!! J/k. And thanks to those who review, even though I torture you, lol. Reviews make me happy!!**A/N:** So I was reading Chapter 17 of **The Bucket Women**'s story _Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em_ and although I've read this story before – it's awesome btw- and I saw the joke about spooning. LOL. And had to put something about it in my story because it's hilarious, then I read the rest of it and saw it was kinda the same so I have to give her credit for that. Thanks!

_Flashback:_ _He felt her stomach muscles tighten under his hands, and he let them rest there a moment. When he had found his voice again, it was low and husky, "C'mon, Casey, trust me."_

_Looking straight into her eyes, he asked, "Do you trust me?"_

_**Trust**__, she thought. Still paralyzed by his touch, and now his voice, she wondered. __**Do I trust him?**__ After a moment, she came to a conclusion…_

"Ok", she said softly, words stuck in her throat as she looked up at him.

When he was sure she was telling the truth, he helped her sit up completely before spinning her around so her back was to him again. She lifted her arms automatically as she felt his hands slowly sliding her t-shirt up and over her head.

He discarded the shirt, allowing it to drop to the floor, saying, "Lay back down, Case. I'm not done with you yet."

She lay down on her now bare stomach, but turned her head to look at Derek, her face a mask of annoyance, "Der-ek!"

He leaned forward, brushing some of her hair back off of her forehead with his hand, "Casey", he chided, "Is that any way to talk to the guy who is giving you a massage?"

"Considering that said guy managed to con me out of my shirt, I think I have the right to be a little- oh!" Her tirade was cut off when Derek grabbed her left foot, only to begin rubbing firm circles in her arch.

She let out a breathy sigh of appreciation, now making herself comfortable again, and began tapping her right foot in time to the low beat of the music.

Lizzie and Edwin were in Edwin's room at Aunt Madge's house. Lizzie was sitting in the desk chair, spinning in lazy circles while Edwin was sitting on his bed reading one of his comic books.

"Hey, Edwin", Lizzie started, bored from the silence. They were the only two awake seeing as it was well after midnight. Her mother and George occupied one of the three guest rooms, and Marti was asleep in the room that she was supposed to be sharing with Lizzie; Edwin's unshared room provided the opportunity for them to continue their late night meetings sans the game closet for privacy.

"Yeah, Liz", he finally replied, coming out of his "comic book trance".

She rolled her eyes good naturedly before voicing her thoughts, "I was just wondering if you think Casey has murdered Derek yet. I mean she has almost a month left to dig a hole, bury him, cover it up, and clean the house from the mess. There would be plenty of time for her to be sitting calmly at home when we get back, only for her to say 'he ran away'."

Edwin's eyes widened before saying, "I knew we shouldn't have let you watch those horror movies last month. You've been acting morbid ever since", he shuddered. "I'm starting to fear for my life here, Liz."

She giggled, "Sorry. You're right. I really should stay away from slasher movies. But seriously, do you think they're getting along as well as Casey told Mom the other night? Because it sounds highly suspicious."

"I don't know. I _still_ can't believe they got left home alone for over a month. I wish I could have set up a camera or something", he sighed remorsefully.

"That's ok, Ed. We can still compare their behavior once we get home to what it was before we left. It might tell us something", she said, attempting to cheer him up.

"Hmmm", he said thoughtfully, "Not a bad idea. I still wish we could have set up a camera or something though."

Lizzie laughed, "Well, it definitely would have been entertaining to watch once we got home."

_Meanwhile…_

Casey was still laying face down on Derek's bed, thoroughly enjoying the way his hands caressed her legs and up her thighs. The air around them was tense, both having realized that this situation had quickly become more erotic than had been originally planned.

She couldn't even manage to warn him before his hands were on her lower back not to even go there, embarrassed to say that she knew this was one of her "hot spots". So when his thumbs found the spot just to the left of her spine above her backside, she couldn't hold in the long moan that came out as a strangled noise from the back or her throat, her back arching, pressing her even farther into his soft mattress.

Her face flushed an impossible shade of red as she felt him stop his movements. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly as he leaned over her to look her in the face. Some time ago, he had moved to kneel between her legs, and now she was pinned between his entire upper body and the bed as he propped himself over her on his left arm.

She felt him staring at her red face, and could practically _hear _his smirk, his voice smug, "Case? What was that?" he asked, barely holding back his laughter.

Casey was becoming increasingly nervous at this strange turn of events, but outweighing that fact, she also felt incredibly turned on, which, in a catch-22, made her even more nervous. And, ironically, if she had _had_ any knots left in her neck and shoulders, they would be even tighter given the circumstances.

She buried her face into his pillow, "Mrfng", she mumbled incoherently.

Derek raised an eyebrow at the back of Casey's head, still apparently amused. He used his other hand to trace a soft circle around the spot, grinning as goose bumps broke out all over her back as she shivered.

Her face only came up from the pillow long enough to say, "_Don't _do that again", in a very unconvincing voice.

"Do what?" he asked, in a fake innocent voice, even as he put pressure on it again.

Casey bit back another groan. "Derek, you _have _to stop that!" she said, her voice slightly raspy. Casey still felt Derek leaning over her. She was sure that he could feel the heat coming off her body. _That _was embarrassing!

Trying to get a handle on the situation that was quickly spiraling out of control, Casey turned her head slightly to tell Derek to give her back her shirt. However, when she caught his dark eyes so close to hers, the words were caught in her throat.

When she saw he was smirking at her, she groaned in annoyance. "Der-ek! Stop looking at me like that!"

Smirk still in place, he asked her, "Looking at you like what?"

She rolled her eyes, "Like you have a secret or something. And stop smirking at me! It's annoying!" _And incredibly sexy_, she thought.

"Well", he started in a playful tone, "_Somebody's _paranoid. I don't have any secrets, but I _do _know your secret."

Casey eyed him cautiously. "I don't have any secrets."

"Yes you do", he stated amiably.

"Fine, then. What's my secret, _Sherlock_?" she asked sarcastically.

Her eyes widened as he leaned his face closer to hers, before he whispered in her ear, "I think you've got the hots for me, Case."

Visibly holding back a shiver, Casey managed to choke out, "That's ridiculous."

She felt Derek move back slightly, hoping he would let it go; Casey was shocked when she heard him say in a soft voice, "Casey, turn over."

Her head whipped around to look behind her at her step-brother, only to realize his eyes were as wide as hers. "_What?_" she managed to squeak out incredulously.

He hadn't exactly planned on saying _that_. Something more along the lines of, _Casey why don't I give you your shirt back_, would have been more appropriate. But now he was stuck, and fully committed to his statement.

Smirk back in place, he goaded her, "Turn over, Case."

She rolled her eyes, "Oh, hell no", she groaned in frustration. "Just hand me my shirt so I can go to my room and fall asleep pretending this weird situation never happened."

"Oh, you mean this weird situation where you want me, but you're too chicken to do anything about it?" he wondered sarcastically.

"No", she said saccharinely, "The real situation where I somehow ended up topless on your bed with you practically pinning me down and telling me to 'turn over'! This is-"

"One of your erotic fantasies finally coming true? No pun intended", he said, interrupting her.

She sighed, "Would you get off of me?"

He raised an eyebrow at her, chuckling as she glared at him, "Fine, fine", he said as he moved slightly to the right side of the bed.

She glared at him again for good measure before sitting up with her back to him as she grabbed the top pillow that she had been using. Casey fixed the other pillow against the headboard before she moved back to lean against while holding the other against her chest.

Aware of the odd look Derek was giving her, Casey turned her head to look at him. "What?" she asked tiredly.

"Nothing", he said, "I just thought you were going back to your room."

"Oh, believe me, I'm thinking about it", she said, now annoyed.

"Touchy", he said tauntingly.

She sighed, again. "Do you actually want me to leave, Derek?" she asked, finally tired of beating around the bush. "Because this"- she motioned between the two of them- "This going any farther than it already has, is probably a bad idea."

"Yeah, it probably is", he acknowledged. Derek turned to look at her finally, "Is that the only reason you have for not doing anything about this?"

She quirked an eyebrow at him, "This… what?"

Instead of answering her, he leaned forward and captured her soft lips with his. In less than ten seconds, Derek had Casey on her back and his body was propped up over hers, albeit the pillow was still between them. Her mouth had opened instantaneously under his, allowing his tongue to caress hers as they both lost themselves in their actions.

Seeing as there isn't too far to go from spooning to… ah, _forking?_ Derek thought that maybe they could skip the prelude to… cutlery, as the pillow slipped out from between them and onto the floor.

Casey, however, had other ideas. When she realized her covering was gone, she made a move to cover herself, only to be interrupted by Derek gently grabbing her hands and pinning them to the bed above her head. "Don't", he said, catching her eyes. "You are _fucking gorgeous_, don't be shy about it."

She blushed under his gaze, but let out a small laugh, "Der-ek."

He raised an eyebrow at her, "What? You have _no idea _how hard it's been for me to keep my hands off you for the past two years."

Casey looked up at him shocked at his admission, "Wait. _What?_"

He groaned, "Case-y. Can't we _talk _later?" He said the word 'talk' like it was a dirty word, all the while looking her over hungrily.

"Der-ek", she said, imitating him, "This _is _kinda important, you know", she finished, slightly exasperated.

He brushed her bangs back out of her eyes, before saying, "I _know_, and I promise we can do the talking thing, later, okay?"

"But-" she started again.

"_No more talking!" _he said, before capturing her lips again.

All thoughts left her head as she became absorbed in the feeling of his lips against hers. Casey tilted her head back as he trailed kisses down her neck, and she let out a groan.

She felt his smirk against her skin, and her last lingering thought as he gently sucked on the skin just above the curve of her left breast, was, _yeah talking can definitely wait._


	5. Chapter 5

**Derek's Favorite Form of Torture5**

**Summary:** Casey and Derek always have something to fight about, but what happens when Derek finds his favorite form of torture?

**Rating: M **(this is for a reason, so don't say I didn't warn you!!)

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own LWD; rub it in why don't you?? **A/N: **Ok so the last chapter took a lot longer to finish than I thought it would because the transition in the middle was being difficult, and I wanted it to be at least slightly realistic… Hopefully the length will make up for it. And the long awaited, though somewhat small, Casey freak-out. Ready, set, go. (Oh, and sorry about the lines… They aren't meant to break up the story. I couldn't make them disappear, so just ignore them.)

--

_Flashback:_ _He brushed her bangs back out of her eyes, before saying, "I know, and I promise we can do the talking thing, later, okay?"_

"_But-" she started again. _

"_No more talking!" he said, before capturing her lips again._

_All thoughts left her head as she became absorbed in the feeling of his lips against hers. Casey tilted her head back as he trailed kisses down her neck and she let out a groan._

_She felt his smirk against her skin, and her last lingering thought as he gently sucked on the skin just above the curve of her left breast, was, yeah talking can definitely wait._

--

**Casey's POV**

Casey blinked at the sunlight that was streaming in through the window. She rubbed her blurry eyes before taking in her surroundings. _This____was __**not **__her room. _Her eyes shot all the way opened; this was _Derek's _room. Why was she in here?

She looked over to the side of the bed farthest away from the door, taking a sharp breath when she saw Derek's sleeping form. She was even more surprised when she realized that his left arm was around her waist. Not to mention, _oh god_, she was naked. She was naked in Derek's bed… with Derek.

It was then, that she remembered. She moved Derek's arm off of her carefully, not wanting to wake him up until she had time to think. She sat up and glanced at the alarm clock on the end table next to her. The neon green numbers stared at her mockingly. _10:49 am._

It had been a long time since she had slept so late. This, of course, she attributed to the previous night's work-out.

Acting quickly, but quietly, she slid out of the bed and found her shirt and shorts, grabbing them up, she walked to the half-opened door. She couldn't believe they hadn't bothered to at least shut the door. The family was gone, yes, but it was the principle of the matter.

She slipped out the door, not bothering to dress, and pulled it shut before she made her way to the bathroom to take a shower. She shut and locked the bathroom door behind her and made her way to the sink.

She couldn't help but take a good look at herself in the mirror before she brushed her teeth. She may have been internally freaking out, but she couldn't hide the grin on her face as she eyed her hair. It had been a while since her hair had been this mussed. The kind of mess that could only come from good sex.

And if that wasn't proof enough, the ache of her thighs definitely gave it away. She continued examining her face critically. She looked _happy._ Happier than she had been in a while. Then she saw a purple-ish bruise on her collarbone. She was still smiling, even as she rolled her eyes. Of course he had given her a hickey.

She brushed her teeth quickly before turning on the hot water of the shower and stepping in. She washed her hair quickly twice, wincing as she tugged at the knots with her fingers. Finally getting most of them out, she ran conditioner through the length of her hair before she grabbed her _Rainforest _scented body wash and squeezed it on the loofa.

As she ran the soapy sponge over her body, images flashed through her head. _Derek. Derek kissing her, touching her – everywhere. Before finally, finally he was inside of her. And… God, it had been good. Amazing even._

He had been sweet to her, which was different. She had almost hated to ruin the moment by telling him that she wasn't a virgin. But he had been looking down at her, almost guiltily before he had been about to enter her, and she knew she had to tell him. Not the details of course, but…

_Flashback: _

_Casey had her head tossed back against the pillow as she arched her back in ecstasy as Derek's hands left shivers across her overworked body. His lips trailed over her chest as he slid two fingers inside of her. The deliberately slow strokes had her writhing within minutes, coupled with his attention to her neck from his mouth._

_His fingers, hook-shaped inside of her, hitting the right spot every time, elicited long breathy moans from Casey, who had long since, given up on any sense of decorum in this situation. Her hips matched his movements to a "t", and soon he had her on the brink of an earth-shattering orgasm. _

_She fell off the edge willingly, enjoying the feeling of finally being able to let go completely. When she opened her eyes, she saw Derek smirking down at her, looking thoroughly proud of himself. She rolled her eyes, but gave him a lazy grin as the back of his hand gently glided over the side over face, making her eyes flutter. _

_Derek wrapped her legs carefully around his waist before he looked down at her. "Case-", he had started._

_She didn't give him a chance to finish, because she knew what he was thinking and she had to set him straight. She leaned up to capture his lips with hers before she looked up at him seriously, "Derek, don't. I know what you're thinking. It may have been a while ago, but I __**have **__done this before. So quit looking so guilty."_

_He had raised an eyebrow at her, "Explain that, please."_

_She had only smirked at him, "You don't __**really **__want to talk __**now**__ do you?" She arched her back and rocked her hips against him teasingly, "We could be busy doing so many other things…" she trailed off seductively, knowing she had his full attention on the matter at hand. _

_Surprise flitted across his face before he smirked back at her. "Fine", he said, "But tomorrow-"_

"_We'll talk tomorrow", she stated, interrupting him again. "But tonight, I need you to fuck me."_

_He had never heard her say anything like that in the years they had lived together. He wondered where she had been hiding. He had decided then, that he would do whatever it took, to make sure he could see __**this**__ Casey again._

_He had then unwrapped her legs from his waist, not giving her time to protest, before he had settled them over his shoulders. He had laughed as he watched her face change from frustration at the thought of stopping now, to lustful need._

_He had captured her hands over her head, and looked her in the eye as he slid inside of her._

--

Casey came out of her trance, realizing she was getting worked up, all over again. _Calm down, Casey_, she chided herself as she rinsed the residue of soap off of her body before turning her back to the spray and letting the remnants of hair conditioner slide down the drain.

She turned the water off, reached for the towel she had placed on the towel rack and wrung out her hair. She gently ran the towel over her body, catching the excess water droplets before stepping out of the tub and onto the bathmat.

Casey tugged her hairbrush through her hair, viciously, but effectively, destroying the rest of the knots in her hair that the conditioner had loosened. She towel-dried her hair before finishing it with the hairdryer, deciding to leave it down for the day.

Rewrapping the towel around herself, she applied her make-up. Grimacing at the sight of the dark circles under her eyes, she used her under-eye before using her foundation. Searching through her make-up bag, she found her favorite daytime eye shadow, a sparkly brown and a lighter, almost tan colored duo.

She applied the colors with her fingers, first using the lighter color as the base before rubbing the darker brown on her eyelid and rinsing her fingers off under the sink faucet. She used her eyeliner and eyelash curler before using a few quick strokes to apply her mascara. She ran a clear colored lip-gloss over her lips to finish the process.

By the time she had finished the mindless process, she had stopped panicking. She had decided that the events of the night before were not something she would regret. She had wanted it, and even if she could go back in time to change her mind – which she couldn't – she wouldn't.

She opened the door cautiously to make her way to her room to get dressed, before berating herself. Derek had seen her completely naked less than five hours ago, not much had changed since then except the hickey on her neck. She shook her head at her childishness and walked calmly to her room before shutting and locking the door.

Casey went to her dresser and began looking through her underwear drawer. _Why couldn't she find a matching…__**anything?**__ Derek! She was going to murder him… Nope, worse. She was going to wake him up… After she got dressed. Then he was going to be in __**so **__much trouble._

She found a purple and blue striped bra and fastened it before she went to her closet to find something to wear. She looked through her closet twice before deciding on a green t-shirt a friend had talked her into buying a year or so ago. It had a four-leaf clover near her left shoulder and had the words "_magically delicious" _written across the chest.

She grabbed a faded denim skirt and slid it up her hips, zipping it up, and popping the button through the hole. She was about to wrench her door open to wake up her still-sleeping step-brother when the phone rang loudly. She glanced at the clock as she went to pick up the phone at her desk. _12:17pm._

_I wonder who that could be, _She thought to herself.

She picked up the phone on the third ring, hoping it wasn't her mother, "Hello?"

When she heard the voice on the voice on the other end, she wasn't sure whether to be relieved or not. "Hey, Casey." _It was Sam._

"Sam, what's up?"

"Derek and I were supposed to play video games today. I was gonna just head over, but I thought I should call first to make sure he was awake", he explained.

Casey rubbed at her forehead with her free hand, "Oh, yeah, that makes sense. Derek is still sleeping, as far as I know, but I was just about to wake him up so he could watch me kill him", she finished matter-of-factly.

She heard Sam chuckle, "What did he do this time?"

Casey felt her face flush; of course he didn't mean _that_. "You probably don't want to know", she murmured. "If he's still in one piece when I'm done, he…" she trailed off before finishing lamely, "Never mind, this probably won't be a story to be repeated."

She could practically _hear_ Sam raise an eyebrow at her. _Since when didn't she want to talk about all the things Derek did to make her crazy? _"You okay, Case? You sound flustered", Sam was a little bit disconcerted by her behavior.

She cleared her throat, "Yeah, sorry, I'm fine. You can head over now if you'd like. I'll wake up Derek. And if he tells me where he put my stuff, he won't be missing anything critical when you get here", she laughed, finally pulling herself together.

"Sounds good, I'll be over in a few minutes", Sam said.

"Oh, Sam?" Casey asked, before he had a chance to hang up.

"What's up?" he replied.

"Derek's gonna be cranky after I wake him-"

Sam had to hand it to her, she made everything an ordeal, "Yeah, I can handle it, Case."

She laughed at that, "Sorry, I'll get to the point. I was gonna order pizzas for lunch. What do you want on yours?"

"I'm good with pepperoni, Case", he answered, calmly.

"Okay, no problem. I'll order before I wake up Derek… for bribing purposes, of course. Bye Sam."

"See you in about fifteen minutes, oh, and Case?" he asked mischievously.

She raised her eyebrow at his tone, "Yes", she wondered suspiciously.

"Do me a favor and don't have any caffeine today, you seem a little strung-out", he finished cheekily.

"Sam-" she started incredulously, but he interrupted her.

"Bye, Case", he said laughing, and then he hung up. 

Casey hung up the phone and took a minute to be grateful that she and Sam had finally become such good friends after that awkward phase they had after they had broken up. She picked up the phone and called the local pizza place to order two pepperoni pizzas and one with everything on it.

That finally done, she went to wake up Derek. She needed her underwear before Sam came over. They weren't _that_ friendly.

--

Derek had his head buried under his pillow to block the oncoming sunlight. He had woken up to the phone ringing earlier, only to glance at his clock and see that it wasn't even twelve-thirty yet.

He heard Casey answer the phone in her room, and he tried to go back to sleep, he had had the _weirdest _dream that he had slept with _Casey_ last night. And, ironically, he really wanted to go back and finish that dream.

He was finally about to enter dream land again when he heard his bedroom door fling open hard enough to bounce off the wall. And then he heard his personal alarm clock go off. "Der-ek!"

His head whipped around at the sound, and suddenly the flashbacks of his dream seemed decidedly real.

"When did you get your bellybutton pierced?" he asked, once he managed to get his bearings.

He watched as she flinched slightly before looking at him steadily for a moment and answering, "About a year and a half ago, why?"

Then he remembered everything, "_Casey_", he whispered.

She scowled at him half-heartedly, "Derek, we _are not_ going to talk about this right now."

He looked at her in surprise, "Case, we kind of have to."

She gave him a slight smile, "We do", she agreed, "But not right now. Sam called and he's on his way over."

He looked at her blankly. "He's coming over to play video games, Derek", she stated, clearly exasperated at how slow his mind worked when he had just gotten up.

"Oh, yeah", he said, before he was startled at the site of her sudden vicious glare. "What?"

"See, the funniest thing happened this morning", she started, "_Not that!_" she retorted at the look he gave her. "After I took my shower this morning", she continued, "I went to get dressed", her eyes narrowed at him, waiting for the recognition in his eyes that he knew what she was talking about.

She continued, "I went into my top drawer of my dresser, only to find that I was missing about half of the contents of my drawer. So I sorted through everything, only to find that there was nothing in that drawer that matched." She finished her explanation, still glaring at him.

He was smirking at her now, no doubt he remembered now. "Casey, Casey, Casey", he started, in a mocking tone, "It's awfully irresponsible of you to have lost half your… socks", he finished, his tone indicating that he was very aware that Casey was not missing any _socks_.

Apparently, now that he had seen Casey with_out_ said _socks_ he couldn't actually name the correct articles of clothing, which he had, in fact hidden. So he had reverted back to age fifteen, decidedly stating that Casey and Nora did _not _discuss_ socks_ during breakfast.

But, in his own defense, Casey hadn't named unsaid article of clothing either. So that would mean he technically didn't have to tell her where he had them hidden, right?

"DER-EK! Where are the rest of my bras and underwear!?" _Okay, _he thought, _I guess we're done playing word games._ He had been about to make some smart remark when she interrupted his thought by saying, "Sam's going to be here soon, and I can't exactly go around the house not wearing certain articles of clothing!"

He was about to comment on the last part of her statement, but changed his mind and asked, in a faux concerned tone, "And what is wrong with what you have in your drawer now, exactly?"

She huffed at him, annoyed to even be talking about this, "I need _things_ too match! I can't wear mismatching _things_. It makes me crazy." Casey held up a hand to prevent whatever comment he would make about that – she was learning.

"Okay, I'll buy that", he said, somewhat congenially. But before she could say anything else, he decided to bother her further. Putting on a surprised face, he looked at her, saying, "But, wait, you said that you had to finish getting dressed. What, exactly, are you _not _wearing?" He looked her up and down as she blushed.

He continued to study her, knowing it was making her squirm, "It doesn't _seem_ like you're missing anything", he said finally.

"Derek-" she started, but she didn't finish her statement, seeing as she was interrupted by him flipping back the covers and getting out of bed. He chuckled as she slapped her hands over her eyes and whirled around to avoid seeing anything. They both knew it was a fruitless action considering the night before, but still.

He got dressed and went to stand in front of her in a pair of dark jeans and his brown and white polo with the orange stripe. He knew she knew he was standing in front of her, but she still kept her eyes covered. Derek found this quite humorous.

"You can open your eyes, Case", he said, obviously laughing at her. She peeked through her fingers, to see him staring at her smugly, with his arms across his chest.

Once she was satisfied that he was dressed she let her arms fall to her sides, but took a step backwards, still eyeing him suspiciously.

He stepped forward and grabbed her upper arms to keep her from backing away as he said, "So, you gonna tell me what you're missing, or should I find out for myself?" He raised an eyebrow at her playfully.

She slapped his chest with the back of her right hand, "Der-ek! Just tell me where you put my-"

She cut off her sentence abruptly, seeing as his hands were skimming the skin of her back beneath her t-shirt, stopping to play with her bra strap.

He tilted his head to catch her eyes, saying, "Don't tell me _Casey _went commando?" he murmured, mostly to himself.

He watched as her face turned an even darker shade of red, before she regained some dignity, "I really don't see how that's any of your business."

He raised his eyebrow at her again. "Want me to check?" he asked in a low voice. "Maybe you can't remember."

_Ding-Dong!_

Casey was saved from answering, grateful that the doorbell rang out, interrupting the dangerous line of his questions. "That's probably Sam", she managed to choke out. She cleared her throat. "Derek, where did you put my stuff?"

She looked at him pleadingly. He smirked at her, fully intending to rile her up with his answer. "In a bag under your bed", he said.

Her mouth dropped open, but before she could say anything, his hand snaked between her legs, sliding a finger over her length as he kissed her nose.

Her eyes went wide as he backed through the door. "I'll let Sam in", he said before winking at her obscenely. "Close your mouth, Case, you'll catch flies."

And with that parting statement, he was gone.


	6. Chapter 6

**Derek's Favorite Form of Torture6**

**Summary:** Casey and Derek always have something to fight about, but what happens when Derek finds his favorite form of torture?

**Rating: M **(this is for a reason, so don't say I didn't warn you!!)

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own LWD; rub it in why don't you?? **A/N: **Well, the last chapter was fun right? I thought so, I loved writing it. As if it wasn't obvious. I just couldn't end it.

_Chapter 5 Flashback:_

_- This____was __**not **__her room. _Her eyes shot all the way opened; this was _Derek's _room. Why was she in here?

_-_ Casey went to her dresser and began looking through her underwear drawer. _Why couldn't she find a matching…__**anything?**__ Derek! She was going to murder him… Nope, worse. She was going to wake him up… After she got dressed. Then he was going to be in __**so **__much trouble._

_-_ She picked up the phone on the third ring, "Sam, what's up?"

_-_"See you in about fifteen minutes."

- He heard Casey answer the phone in her room, and he tried to go back to sleep, he had had the _weirdest _dream that he had slept with _Casey_ last night.

- DER-EK! Where are the rest of my bras and underwear!?"

-"So, you gonna tell me what you're missing, or should I find out for myself?"

- Her eyes went wide as he backed through the door. "I'll let Sam in", he said before winking at her obscenely. "Close your mouth, Case, you'll catch flies."

--

**Chapter 6:**

**Derek's POV:**

Derek trampled down the stairs with about as much grace as an elephant on roller-skates. He opened the door just in time to see his best friend about to press on the doorbell again.

"Hey, Sammy", Derek said, finally letting in his friend.

"Hey, D, Casey finally get you up?" Sam asked.

Derek raised his eyebrows, clearly Sam didn't mean that the way it sounded, he hoped, "Huh?"

Sam's forehead creased in confusion. "Casey said you were still asleep when I called. She was going to wake you up, and possibly kill you, but I'm not quite sure about the last part. She was acting all squirrel-ly."

Derek, no longer confused, was kind of wondering why Casey had been so calm this morning. He would get to the bottom of this… after he found some food.

He gave Sam a look, before saying, "We both know Casey is a little nuts."

Derek was making his way towards the kitchen when the doorbell rang. He went to open the door to see a pizza delivery guy holding three pizzas. He looked at the guy standing in his doorway before holding up a finger and making his way to the landing on the bottom set of stairs and yelling, "Case, did you order pizza?"

A few seconds later, her voice trailed down the stairs, "Yeah, just a minute."

Derek shook his head, not bothering to answer that before he took his wallet out of his back pocket and handed the guy thirty-five dollars, and grabbed the pizzas.

As he turned he saw Casey on the stairs. "I was going to pay for that", she said, holding up some money.

He smirked at her before saying, "You took too long. And as long as one of these is for me, I don't care", and he went into the kitchen.

And for the second time that morning, he left her standing with her mouth dropped open.

--

**Casey's POV:**

_10 minutes earlier:_

_Her eyes went wide as he backed through the door. "I'll let Sam in", he said before winking at her obscenely. "Close your mouth, Case, you'll catch flies."_

_And with that parting statement, he was gone._

_She could __**not **__believe he had just done that. Granted, things were weird between them, but that was… unnecessary._

_**I will not freak out**__, she told herself. It didn't work._

"_Stupid Derek", she mumbled._

_Slowly she made her way out of his room and walked to hers. She shut the door quietly and locked it. Going to her bed, she knelt down to look underneath it. She groaned in annoyance as she saw the bag sitting there in plain sight._

_After quickly sorting through her things to make sure everything was there, she found the striped thong that matched her bra and slid it up under her skirt; then she tossed her belongings back in their assigned drawer._

_She took a quick look in the mirror, making sure her clothes were neat, and quickly tip-toed back into Derek's room. She made quick work of short-sheeting his bed, and was just stepping out into the hallway when she heard the doorbell, and then Derek calling her name._

--

Casey closed her mouth, realizing she must look like a fish, and followed Derek and Sam cautiously into the kitchen, not able to ignore her growling stomach any longer.

She sat down between Derek and Sam at the island after grabbing a paper plate and a water bottle from the fridge. She was half-way through her second piece when the phone rang. She stood up, wiping her greasy fingers on a napkin, and walked into the living room, wanting the cordless phone.

"Hello?" Casey muttered into the phone.

"Casey, honey, it's Mom." Casey heard her mother's voice in the phone and held back a sigh.

"Hi, Mom", she said, loudly. She headed to the kitchen, knowing, no doubt, Nora would also want to speak with Derek. "What's up?"

"Well, I just wanted to check in and make sure everything was alright. We're all a little worried that you might have killed Derek since the last time we talked", Nora sighed. "You two _are _at least attempting to get along aren't you?"

"Sure, Mom", Casey grimaced, at the lie, thankful that she couldn't be seen through the phone. "Wait, what do you mean, you're _all _worried?"

Casey was leaning against the kitchen sink, frowning as Derek came over to listen to the conversation. "Give me the phone", he said quietly.

She shook her head, knowing this wouldn't end well.

"Casey-", Derek tried to take the phone from her, but she dodged, while trying to pay attention to her mother explaining that the thought of Casey and Derek left alone without any interference, was a little disturbing in light of their incapability to get along for more than five minutes without a disaster.

Casey took a deep breath to calm her nerves; she hated lying to her mother. "Mom", she said soothingly, "Derek and I are fine. You and George have enough to worry about while you're gone, so please trust me when I say that everything is fine… Well, at least it could be worse", she finished, trying for a half-truth.

Nora sighed, again. "Alright", she said, unwillingly. "I know you're responsible, Casey. And for some reason, Derek has become more responsible recently, so I'll try not to worry. But I want you to call if something happens that we would need to know about. Deal?"

_Crap_, Casey thought, _too late for that, Mom. _Her mother was making her feel guilty over the phone, this was not happening. "That sounds reasonable", Casey said. She saw Derek wince at the fake-cheeriness of her tone, and motion for the phone again.

Casey held up a finger. "Mom, Derek wants to talk to you. Did you need anything else?"

"Oh, right", Nora replied, seeming frazzled, "I sent you an email this morning of the list of things I want you to pick up for Marti's party. Let me know if you have any problem figuring it out. And you can use my ATM card for that stuff."

"Alright, Mom, that's fine. I have to go grocery shopping tomorrow anyway. I'll look then. Here's Derek."

He grabbed the phone from her quickly, obviously knowing she was about to crack. _"About time",_ he mouthed to her.

"Hey, Nora."

--

Casey ignored the one-sided conversation, going to take her seat and finish her cold pizza. Sam was looking at her quizzically; she turned slightly to raise an eyebrow at him. "What?" she asked.

Sam eyed her cautiously, "What's going on? You guys are acting weird."

Casey was saved from answering when she heard Derek was talking to Marti.

"Tell Marti I said hi", she said.

A few minutes later Marti was on speakerphone regaling them with yesterday's trip to the park with Lizzie and Edwin. Apparently they played with a puppy, ate ice cream and played on the swing-set. Then they played hide-and-seek, but they decided not to do that again when she and Lizzie lost Edwin.

She was also surprisingly happy that she got to share a room with Lizzie, seeing as she had never had to share a room before.

They talked for about twenty minutes, until Marti's favorite show was coming on, and then she hung up. But not until she sternly told Smerek to be nice to Casey, and made _Sammy _promise to come over for a play-date with her when they got back.

Casey couldn't help but grin, "She's definitely _your _sister, Derek."

He smirked at her, "Was there any doubt?"

"Nope."

--

**Derek's POV:**

_Casey had gone to answer the phone, so he had continued to happily devour his pizza. At least until he heard she was talking to Nora. Then he was decidedly worried._

_He went to inconspicuously listen to their conversation, until Casey tried to hit him. He had to get the phone away from her before she blurted out something like, "Derek and I had sex last night!" or worse, then he would have to deal with the eminent crying that would follow._

_Thankfully, crisis had been averted, after he had practically wrestled the phone away from her. Seriously, did she like making things difficult? Of course he did. She was __**Casey**__._

_Oh, great. Now Sam was looking at them weirdly. The one time he chose not to be oblivious._

--

They had hung up the phone after talking to Marti, and Derek was about to remind Sam that he had come over to play video games, when Sam interrupted his thoughts.

"So", Sam said, curiously, "You guys gonna clue me in on what's going on? You're both acting _way_ weird."

Derek ran a hand through his hair, semi-nervously. "Uh-"

He was surprised when Casey cut him off, even though her voice was calm and slightly chilly, Derek was still ready to clamp a hand over her mouth and carry her out of the room if necessary, _even though that might look slightly suspicious_.

"Blame Derek", she said, glancing at him with narrowed eyes before turning to Sam and continuing, "I always do." 

"Hey!" he retorted. Sam raised an eyebrow, motioning for her to continue.

"It's your fault and you know it", she said, before ignoring him and looking back to Sam. "Your best friend is an inconsiderate ass! He kept me up half the night -"

Derek quickly grabbed at her arm, hissing at her, "Casey are you crazy?"

She had the audacity to smile at him slightly before she cleared her face to a mask of annoyance, turning back to Sam as she deliberately stepped on his foot, saying, "Oh, come on, Derek. You were totally going to tell him later anyway."

"I was?" he raised his eyebrows.

She just ignored him. "Sam, despite the fact that Derek _knows _that I'm a light sleeper, he insists on tormenting me. He was doing, _God knows what_, with some girl, and he probably doesn't even remember her name, even after going at it like rabbits all night long!"

In the middle of her tirade, he finally figured out where she had been going with her half-truth. He went to the fridge to grab himself another soda, and grabbing Casey a water bottle. She was being surprisingly convincing, and he didn't want her to ruin it by being fidgety, a tell-tale sign that she was lying.

He placed the water next to her discreetly, hoping that Sam wouldn't notice – he did. Derek just rolled his eyes like he was waiting for Casey to start hyperventilating anytime now. She didn't. But she did start playing with the top of the water bottle.

He had taken her former place at the sink, his arms folded, just watching the scene unfold as she stood across from Sam at the island. He couldn't help but admit to himself that as scary as it was too see how much he had rubbed off on her the past few years, he was _slightly_ proud of her.

However, he was still Derek, and he couldn't help but snort at her last statement. "Rabbits, Case? Really?"

He held back a laugh as she turned around and he watched her face flush, obviously remembering what she was talking about. Instead of getting flustered like he had expected, she just tilted her head to the side in mock-annoyance while she quirked an eyebrow at him challengingly. "How would you describe it then, Derek? You know, since you were in the room."

Derek went to stand next to her, "Hey, it's not my fault that she was like the _Energizer Bunny_. She just kept going, and going-" she slapped him in the stomach with the back of her hand.

"Der-ek, I thought you didn't like the rabbit analogy, jackass. You know what; I don't really want to hear this." She went to walk away, presumably to the living room or upstairs to her bedroom, but he caught her by the arm.

"You're right. You probably heard most of it last night anyways. What, with you being such a _light sleeper_, and all", he looked at her pointedly. "Besides", he said as an afterthought, this time directing his attention back to Sam somewhat, noticing he was watching them intently, "She was really loud."

He was holding her left arm to keep her in place, he watched as she managed to cover the side of her face with her right hand, blocking her red face from Sam. He wondered why, considering her being embarrassed wouldn't be unusual.

Then she looked up at him and he realized she was trying to bury a grin so she could properly glare at him. He felt her body shaking with barely restrained laughter, and let go of her arm, hoping that she would get the point and go upstairs before she ruined their argument by collapsing in laughter on the kitchen floor.

She bit her lip for a moment to get herself under control before she grabbed what was left of her pizza and put the whole box in the fridge, saying, "Alright, _now_ I'm going upstairs. Have fun playing games, Derek, don't destroy the house."

"Yes, Mom", he snarked sarcastically in reply.

She rolled her eyes. On her way past him, she smacked him on the back of the head, tossing over her shoulder, "You'd better come up with a good reason I should tell Mom and George you're having sleepovers while they're gone. And you're buying me earplugs!"

"Uh, first, Ow! Second, not a chance", he said smugly.

"You're going to pay for that", was all she said before she trotted up the stairs and they heard her door slam shut.

"Uh, Dude", Sam said, "Should you go talk to her?"

Derek smirked, "Probably. Be right back, Sammy. Set up the game." And he followed her up the stairs.


	7. Chapter 7

**Derek's Favorite Form of Torture7**

**Summary:** Casey and Derek always have something to fight about, but what happens when Derek finds his favorite form of torture?

**Rating: M **(this is for a reason, so don't say I didn't warn you!!)

**Disclaimer: **"_It used to be my mother and my sister and me. A happy little family, and alright with me. My mom got married, that's when everything changed. Some things were lost, and others were gained: a new school, a new house, so many changes it makes my head spin. Now I've got a brother who gets under my skin! This is life with Derek, this is life with Derek, this is life with Lizzie, Edwin, George and Nora, Marti and Casey. Livin' life with Derek, livin' life with Derek." _Dang! I still don't see my name in there. **A/N: **I'm glad you all like the story so far. Reviews make me happy. It's amazing what an awesome music playlist and a pile of _Oreos_ with milk does for my writing… and I even remembered that LWD has more characters than just Derek and Casey. *sighs* Now I'm done. Enjoy the chapter. And the interlude towards the end… well, I had fun with that. There is no murder in this story, lol.

_Chapter 6 Flashback:_

"_You're going to pay for that", was all she said before she trotted up the stairs and they heard her door slam shut._

"_Uh, Dude", Sam said, "Should you go talk to her?"_

_Derek smirked, "Probably. Be right back, Sammy. Set up the game." And he followed her up the stairs._

--

**Derek's POV:**

Derek made his way up the stairs, trying to keep the grins off his face while Sam was playing with the _Game Cube's _tangled controller cords.

He made his way to his step-sister's closed door, giving it one conciliatory knock before barging in as usual. He found her sitting on her bed, leaning against the headboard, her face in a pillow that was resting against her drawn up knees.

"What?" he heard her mumble into the pillow.

He pulled her computer chair to the side of her bed sprawling himself out comfortably, saying, "Well, that was different."

Casey lifted her head up. Her face was red with laughter, her eyes sparkled, "I have no idea what you're talking about", she replied innocently.

He rolled his eyes at her good-naturedly. "You know", he said, contemplatively, "I don't think I've ever heard you tell a convincing lie – well, ever."

She raised an eyebrow, "Very articulate", she said dryly. "Just because I don't choose to lie, doesn't mean that I don't know _how_."

"Awww", he said, leaning over to pat her on the head. "My little protégé."

She batted his hand away, "Der-ek", she whined at him, childishly sticking her tongue out at him.

Both of his eyebrows went up, "Why don't you come over here and do that?"

She took a second to look appalled at him, and then she threw her extra pillow at him. It hit him in the face before he caught it.

He watched as she straightened herself into an upright position, her legs stretched out. He would have been worried for the seriousness on her face, but the glint in her eyes told him otherwise. "You know", she started, clearly mocking him; he reached over to hit her gently in the face with the pillow that she had let him _borrow_.

She glared at him pointedly, before starting over, "_You know,_ now we really can't have Sam finding out anything."

Derek looked at her curiously, "Not that I disagree, but why not?"

She made a face, "Seriously? After the description from the two of us, if he found out that we were actually talking about _us_, he'd be scarred for life. _Energizer Bunny_, Derek?" she continued incredulously. "Really, Derek, _God._"

He smirked, "That's what they usually call me. And you're starting to wear out my name, Case."

She groaned, "I should have seen that coming from a mile away."

"Yes, you should have. And the whole rabbit thing, sort of a compliment", he stated, apparently quite satisfied with himself.

She smiled wryly, slightly embarrassed, "I'll try not to let it go to my head", she retorted, folding her arms under her chest. She sighed, snapping a finger, "Eyes are up here, Derek".

"I know", he sighed dramatically, ignoring her.

She stood up, but not before she kicked his feet from their perched position on the edge of her bed. "Okay", she said, "Enough bugging Casey. Go entertain Sam before he thinks I killed you and comes to check."

"Fine, fine, nobody loves me", he muttered, getting up and walking to the door. He had the door half-way opened when he turned around to look at her. "Hey", he said quietly.

She looked up from the spot she had been studying on her carpet. "What?" she asked.

He looked at her carefully before saying, in a semi-kidding tone, "I hear I missed a Casey freak-out this morning."

"Huh?" she wondered, her brow furrowed in confusion.

He took a few steps to stand in front of her. "Sam told me you were acting a little – I think he actually used the word squirrelly – which was awkward, by the way, when he had talked to you on the phone earlier."

He surprised both of them by running his thumb over the creases between her eyebrows. Her eyes closed involuntarily, as she let out a contented sigh.

They both took a step back from each other. "So, ummm", Derek started awkwardly, "Thanks for saving our asses down there. Usually I'm the quick thinker."

She blushed, "Yeah, well, I had a few minutes to think while you got the door earlier", she said in a low tone.

_Now _he was smirking, "Found your stuff then?"

"Yes, you idiot", she would have continued, had he not interrupted her.

"Alright, Case", he started in a soothing tone, "Don't get your panties in a twist, unless you are in fact _still _not wearing any", he wiggled his eyebrows at her.

Casey flushed scarlet, not exactly wanting to think about what had happened earlier, and threw her pillow in his general direction. He somehow managed to catch it mid-air. "Violence doesn't solve anything, Casey", he stated, mockingly.

"Maybe not, but I feel a hell of a lot better after I throw things at you", she ended her statement in a shrill tone, causing them both to wince. She took a deep breath to calm herself. "Now get out and go play with Sam before I throw something at you that's not nearly as soft as a pillow!" she finished indignantly.

He gave her mock-salute and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

--

**Nora's POV:**

Nora came out of the kitchen and went to sit beside her husband on the couch. "George, I'm worried."

"Okay, honey, that's fine", he replied, clearly distracted by an article in the newspaper he was reading.

Nora rolled her eyes, curling up beside George and resting her head on his shoulder. "I just got off the phone with Casey and Derek", she tried again.

He looked down at her face, "Huh? What about Casey and Derek?"

Nora gave her husband an exasperated sigh, "I just talked to them on the phone and I'm worried."

George turned serious momentarily, "Did something happen?"

She sat upright on the couch, "_No_, well, I don't even know. Every time I call, they both say they're fine and getting along. We both know that's not true! So that must mean that they're hiding something, and that's why I'm worried!"

"Nora", George started soothingly, "Maybe they _are_ actually getting along. I mean, we both know that Casey has a good head on her shoulders. And Derek, well, he has been starting to act his age lately, sorta."

Nora couldn't help but snort at her husband's reasoning. "George, I have resigned myself to the fact that the two of them will never get along. The only way I would ever see that happening is if-" Nora cut herself off, her eyes widening comically. "_Oh shit_", she muttered.

George eyed his wife warily. His wife rarely swore, so when she did, he knew the shit was about to hit the fan. He tried to look inconspicuous as he glanced around the room for an umbrella while he asked the dreaded question no husband ever really wants to hear an answer too, "What's wrong?"

Nora took a deep breath to steady herself. _Maybe she was over-reacting. But then again… _"George, in high school, did you have that couple that fought constantly. They usually weren't even a couple; they were just always around each other, both trying to drive the other crazy."

George laughed, "Lisa Patterson and Tim Baker, man, they tore the school apart. We were all waiting for them to… _Oh, shit._" Luckily, George was still seated on the couch when he passed out.

Fifteen minutes, a bottle of water, two aspirin, and three kids in the living room later, George was awake and somewhat calm.

--

**Lizzie's POV:**

Lizzie, Edwin and Marti had come into the house from the large backyard in time to see Nora pouring what looked to be a small glass of water on George's sleeping face. They stood outside the entrance to the living room looking slightly shocked. This wasn't a normal occurrence, _even for the McDonald-Venturi bunch. _

"Mom?" Lizzie questioned, in a startled tone, as Nora emptied about half the cup of water over George's face and he began to sputter, "What's wrong with George?"

Nora handed her husband a hand towel she grabbed from the cabinet on her way from the kitchen. She looked at him apologetically, "Sorry, honey", she said, leaning over to press a kiss to his somewhat dry forehead.

Finally turning to the children, she motioned them to come all the way into the room, "Come in and sit down guys. We _may _have a situation."

Lizzie rolled her eyes discreetly at her mother's dramatics, before glancing at her step-brother and step-sister. She and Edwin shared a look. _This was going to be interesting._

--

**Derek's POV:**

Derek and Sam had been in the living room playing Babe Raider in a semi-silence for most of the afternoon. Derek spent most of this time being very annoyed at the fact that he was losing, _badly._ _To Sam._

_Casey is getting to me_, he thought to himself, just as his character fell into the lava, for the fourth time. _Damn._

"Dude", Sam's voice brought him out of his thoughts. "Are you _trying_ to lose?

"Huh? No, I just, I dunno", he was saved from having to explain himself to Sam as he heard footsteps come down the stairs.

"Hey, guys", she made her way over to them, seeing their game was over. "Who won?" she questioned, perching on the arm of the couch between Derek and Sam.

Derek just shook his head in annoyance.

"I did", Sam stated, calmly. "Four out of six games. There's something wrong with Derek."

Casey leaned over the chair to look at Derek who appeared to be pouting. Derek heard her bite back a giggle and gave her a half-hearted glare.

"Are you sick?" she wondered, jokingly, placing her hand on his forehead.

He batted her hand away, "No."

She had the nerve to _smirk_ at him. Then she turned to Sam, saying, "Don't worry, I'm sure it can be cured by food. You're staying for dinner, right?"

"Sure, that'd be great, Case. My mom was making meatloaf tonight", he shuddered.

Derek and Casey both grimaced. "Okay then. You guys want lasagna or tacos?"

"Tacos!" Derek stated, excitedly.

"Sam, I'd ask your opinion, but then I would fear for my life", she said, shuddering comically as Derek snapped out of his funk to give her a very convincing fake glare.

"I see your point", Sam said, playing along, "Teasing Derek when he's hungry isn't a good idea."

Casey snorted, "Believe me, I know."

Derek stood up and folded his arms over his chest in mock-annoyance, "Guys, I'm _right here_!"

Casey moved to stand in front of him, "Good", she stated finally, "you can help me make dinner."

He dug his heels into the wooden floor as Casey grabbed him by the arm in a vain attempt to pull him into the kitchen.

After a brief struggle, in which neither of them budged an inch, Casey finally let go and put her hands on her hips, "Fine, you don't have to help", she said innocently, "But I don't know how long it will be before it's all ready to eat. But if you're not hungry yet-" she trailed off when she heard Derek's stomach growl.

She smirked at him knowingly, "So you'll help me, yes?"

Derek glared at her, "That was low."

"Oh, the powers of suggestion", she said, quite proud of herself.

"Fine, let's go, Spacey, I'm hungry", he grabbed her by the arm and started in the general direction of the kitchen before he turned around to see his friend sitting on the couch grinning like an idiot. "Let's go, Sammy. Come help or I eat your tacos."

--

**Sam's POV:**

I trailed a very happy Casey and my brooding best friend into the kitchen waiting for orders from Casey. Even though I was used to it, I was still surprised when Derek let Casey be in charge. Although, since the only thing Derek really liked to cool was macaroni, I probably shouldn't be surprised.

I watched as Casey grabbed a frying pan, sprayed it with non-stick cooking spray and set it on the stove to heat up, and turned around only to find that Derek had already taken the hamburger meat out of the freezer and he handed it to her.

"Thanks", she mumbled, somewhat surprised, so was I.

I decided to save us from the awkward silence, asking, "What do you want us to do, Case?"

She held up a finger as she unwrapped the meat and dropped it in the pan. Turning around, she began to delegate, "Derek, can you get out the cutting board?" she said, as she grabbed a bowl from the cabinet.

"Yeah, sure", Derek pulled the cutting board off the hook and set it on the island. When he turned around again, he saw Casey jumping lightly, trying to grasp another bowl just out of her reach.

Sam looked between Casey and Derek quickly. Derek stood with his arms folded and an amused look on his face, watching Casey, who was becoming visibly frustrated at the fact that the bowl she wanted _just wasn't on a lower shelf_.

After a few seconds, Casey was staring resolutely at the bowl, probably _willing _it to come down, not realizing that she was being stared at by the other two people in the kitchen.

Sam had been about to go help her without her consent, when she had _once again_ reached up for the bowl, but he stopped himself from getting up when he saw Derek silently walk up behind her.

Derek waited until she had landed flat on her feet before putting his left hand on her waist, laughing because he had startled her, he said, "You're not tall enough, Princess." And before she could move out of the way or answer him, he reached over her, brushing his chest across her back, and grabbed the bowl.

Derek set the bowl on the counter, ignoring the look from his very flustered step-sister, and said, "What do you want in the bowls? Let's get on this!"

--

**Casey's POV:**

_Oh, my god_, Casey thought, _I am so __**screwed**_.

Casey had fully intended to ignore the fact that she had slept with her step-brother, writing it off as a hormonal breakdown. But if the events of the past few hours were any indication, things may not be exactly the way she thought.

She took a deep breath, hoping to get rid of the thoughts swirling around her head, and went to stir the meat in the pan, flipping the cooked sections so it wouldn't burn. Finally sure that her face wouldn't betray her emotions, she turned around, "Sam, you can use the cutting board to dice tomatoes, and put them in the small bowl when they're done. Derek, shred the lettuce, would you, and then dump it in the bigger bowl. I'll get out the plates and taco shells while I finish cooking the meat."

She went to the other cupboard and grabbed three dinner plates. As she set them on the counter, she heard Derek ask, "_Why?_" in a whiny voice.

She sighs in annoyance, "Now what?"

"I wanted to cut the tomatoes", he said obviously.

She gave him an incredulous look. _Was he serious? _She gave a miniscule shake of the head; she was getting tired of the mind games. _But that didn't mean she wasn't still going to play._ She took a few steps forward, making sure to leave plenty of space between them. It probably wouldn't be the best idea to jump him like she wanted to, in the kitchen, in front of Sam.

She looked up at him, smiling sweetly, "Derek, we both know how you are with sharp objects, and I don't think Mom and George would be happy to come home and find you missing fingers", his eyes narrowed at her, but she continued, "Not to mention, I don't trust you with a knife in the same room as me. You might go all serial killer on me, or something."

She smirked at him; she knew he hated that. The look he gave her, froze her in place. _Oh, shit. He's gonna kill me. _Casey watched cautiously as Derek turned to rummage through the silverware drawer for a moment.

He turned around, holding the object behind his back so she couldn't see it. "Run", he said with a raised eyebrow. That was all the warning that he gave before he was heading in her direction. She took off quickly through the open kitchen doors and into the living room.

She was half-way to the stairs when she looked over her shoulder. Then of course, she nearly tripped as Derek caught her around the waist, tackling her and they both went over the back of the couch. "Der-ek!" she yelled in annoyance.

They landed on the couch, barley managing to stay on, considering the momentum that Derek had used to propel them over the couch in the first place. When Casey finally opened her eyes, she found herself on her back with Derek on top of her. _Well that explains why I can't breathe. God he's heavy. Is he gonna get off of me soon?_ Her thoughts were racing so quickly that she couldn't manage to grasp them.

Finally, the thoughts in her head came to an abrupt halt, "_Get off of me you fat __**jerk**__!_"

Derek finally stopped crushing her as he propped himself over her, his hands on each side of her. She glared at him when she saw he was laughing at her. "What do you mean fat jerk? One, this is all muscle, babe. And two, _fat jerk?_" he asked again._ "_Really, Case? What kind of an insult was that? Haven't you learned anything from me?" he looked quite offended.

She smacked him in the chest, "Oh, I'm sorry", she said sarcastically, "I couldn't think of a proper insult seeing as you were _on top of me _and cutting off the oxygen supply to my brain!" She rolled her eyes, "Why the hell are you still on top of me?"

He smirked down at her, "C'mon, Case. Give me a good insult."

She growled at him in annoyance, "Dammit, Derek, just get…." She paused, narrowing her eyes at him, "What the hell were you chasing me with?"

Her expression darkened dangerously as he burst into laughter. He looked down between them, still laughing. She followed his gaze cautiously. She groaned when she saw it, "You have got to be fucking kidding me", she muttered.

He grabbed the object from where it rested on her stomach, "Need a Spork, Case?"

She reached up and covered her face with her hands, and then she promptly pushed him off of her and onto the floor.

She gave him a look of semi-disgust, "Dumbass". She stepped over him and headed back to the kitchen to finish cooking.

Sam turned around from his position at the stove, now turning off the heat, to look at her with a wry smile on his face.

Casey just rolled her eyes, "A little warning would have been nice."

Sam raised his eyebrows, taking in her messy hair, now static-y from the couch cushions, and her red face, and Derek standing closely behind her, smirking, before he simply said, "Maybe, but it wouldn't have been nearly as fun to watch."

"You've been friends with Derek too long", she mutters, moving towards the rest of the unattended food.

--

Sam had gone home a few hours ago, somewhat warily, probably wondering if it was a good idea for Casey and Derek to be left unsupervised.

Casey shook her head lightly, trying to clear her thoughts. She was still embarrassed that she had run away from Derek chasing her with a freaking Spork! Granted, she didn't know it at the time, but still. Now she was up in her room listening to a mix cd she had borrowed from Emily.

She had changed into a pair of black pajama pants covered in purple hearts and a matching purple tank top. She heard a knock on her door and went to open it. "What, Derek?" Casey asked. She was tired; this had been a weird day. And she had to be at the dance studio at eleven-thirty tomorrow morning, and for the rest of the week to prepare for her recital on Saturday. She needed all the rest she could get.

He paused just inside her doorway. He opened his mouth to say something, but turned abruptly to glare pointedly at her radio. He grimaced, hearing the song "_Beep_" by the Pussycat Dolls blasting through her speakers. He snatched up her remote and hit the stop button. "Just when I thought your taste in music couldn't get any worse, Spacey", he said patronizingly.

He narrowed his eyes as he stared at her with her hands on her hips, waiting for him to do something. "What the hell?" he muttered, before closing the space between them.

"What?" she asked, slightly confused about what he was looking at her like that for.

"Did I do that?" he asked her as he lifted his hand to trace her collarbone with his thumb.

_Oh, _she thought,_ the hickey._ She rolled her eyes, "Well, I sure couldn't have done that to myself", she said sarcastically.

He smirked at her, "Damn straight."

She made a disgusted face, "Did you want something? I need to go to bed."

Derek sighed, "Case-" he started.

"No", she said, "Please. We'll talk tomorrow. We have time. I need to sleep; I have class in the morning."

He gave her a look of pure frustration, and she could feel her resolve fading, "_Please, Derek. Not tonight."_

"Fine", he said quietly, "But we _are _going to talk about this tomorrow, Princess."

"Thank you", she whispered.

He gave her a kiss on the forehead, "Night Case".

"Night Derek", Casey replied as he headed to the door.

She had just turned the light off and shut her door half-way, and was sliding under her covers when she heard Derek's voice coming from his own room, "Hey, Case, nice hickey!"

She groaned and buried her head under the covers, thankful her couldn't see her.

--

_15 minutes later:_

"What the hell?!" Casey heard Derek's voice again before his footsteps found their way to her doorway. Her door swung opened abruptly.

She saw Derek standing in her doorway in flannel pajama pants and a red t-shirt. "Derek, would you _shut up_! I'm trying to sleep", Casey winced as she glanced towards him, the hallway light hitting her eyes.

The light snapped off and Derek made his way into her room. "You are sharing your bed tonight, Casey."

"Why?" she asked dryly.

"Because", Derek said, coming to stand right next to the side of her bed, "You short-sheeted my bed, missy", he leaned over and flicked her in the nose. "And there's no way I'm fixing it tonight. So scoot over; you're hogging the bed."

She grinned. She had forgotten about that. "Derek, I can't hog my own bed", she stated stubbornly.

"Didn't Nora teach you to share?" he asked her amusedly.

"No", she said childishly, with a pout on her face.

"Sure she didn't. Move over", he said with finality as he moved the covers aside.

She huffed at him before bouncing to the opposite side of the bed. "Don't snore or I'll smother you with a pillow", she said severely. _Well as severely as she could with her face buried in her pillow. _

"Oh, you mean the one you're currently drooling on?" he asked laughingly.

"Go to hell, Derek", she said good-naturedly.

She felt the dip in the bed as he lay down next to her. _Don't panic_, she thought,_ we're just going to sleep._

Casey turned to lie on her side, facing away from Derek and was just about to fall asleep when she felt his arm go around her waist. She turned her head in protest when he mumbled, "Go to sleep, Spacey".

She relaxed her body reluctantly only to be pulled to him, her back against his chest. She sighed quietly before drifting into a contented sleep.


End file.
